We just need to stay healthy for New England. I'm hoping most of those players come back by the time we play New England. We'll need them. We saw what other teams did to us when our defense was spread out. Tom Brady would pick us apart.

Ryan Harris will start at right tackle for Newton. Darryl Sharpton, Tim Dobbins and Barrett Ruud will form a rotation at inside linebacker with James on the sideline. Rookie Whitney Mercilus will start for Reed at outside linebacker.

Malloy

11-30-2012, 05:22 PM

What happened to Newton?

drs23

11-30-2012, 06:05 PM

What happened to Newton?

He's got a knee from Detroit.

IDEXAN

11-30-2012, 06:16 PM

I'm excited about Mercilus starting Sunday for the first time, especially on the weak side where he played in college. It's less demanding than the strong side for rushing defense and also pass coverage, and just lets the rookie cut loose and rush the QB.

97roc

11-30-2012, 06:31 PM

With Gump out, does that mean Brandon Brooks will be in the rotation? Ben Jones was rotating with Gump. Who is our other backup Guard besides Brooks and Caldwell??

I would like to see Brooks get some snaps.

Thorn

11-30-2012, 06:40 PM

Man, our defense is the walking wounded.

CloakNNNdagger

11-30-2012, 07:14 PM

Don't worry. Wade's had our D practice with modified equipment all week in anticipation of our "handicap" going into Sunday.

I'm excited about Mercilus starting Sunday for the first time, especially on the weak side where he played in college. It's less demanding than the strong side for rushing defense and also pass coverage, and just lets the rookie cut loose and rush the QB.

I think the most important thing he needs to "figure out" is play recognition. Is it a run, or a pass? I know many have said he is a liability against the run, but when I went back to watch the Lions game, he appeared to do a good job. Maybe not excellent, but a good job none the less.

But yes, it will be nice to see him get a start & get some serious snaps. His pass rush ought to improve simply because he'll have the ability to get into a rhythm & set up his opponent.

Sorry to say however, I haven't seen much explosive strength from him. He's strong enough to set the edge, but I don't see him as being able to punch, or use his arms to "press" a Tackle off of him.

But we'll see.

CloakNNNdagger

11-30-2012, 07:55 PM

After all the injuries coming out of Detroit, at least we'll be playing on natural grass this Sunday.

False Start

11-30-2012, 08:01 PM

Time to see what that 60th pick got us. I really hope they are just giving guys time to heal up, and get ready for the Pats, and the stretch run. All of these injuries, kind of worry me.

ItsMyFault

11-30-2012, 09:29 PM

I was kind of hoping they'd rest Joseph another week. The Titans passing game is...nothing compared to the Lions, and our secondary was adequate once Kareem was moved to cover Calvin.

The defense with all of these players out won't slow anyone down. If the Titans struggle to score, it'll be because of their issues, not the D. Shouldn't expect much from the D, the O however should hopefully perform on all cylinders against their mediocre D.

Cornerback Alan Ball will be a game-time decision. Missed practice with a sore foot. #Texans

Caldwell, losing him is no big deal, he's not a starter anyway.
James, this hurts since he calls the defensive plays.
Joseph, this really hurts, time for KJ and Harris or Ball to step up.
Newton, he could probably use a brake, Harris should fill in fine.
Reed, this hurts but we've got great depth at OLB.

This almost sound like Kubiak is letting some players heal up and rest up in preparation for the playoffs.

Malloy

12-01-2012, 04:52 AM

He's got a knee from Detroit.

Right. Thanks :)

Norg

12-01-2012, 05:13 AM

mann James was a replacement for cushing and Newton was not even supposed to share snaps with Big bird till he got hurt

i know Mcarthy is a starting LB and Morgon is one of there best pass rushers

Wolf6151

12-01-2012, 08:46 AM

I know Harris will get the predominant share of snaps at RT in place of Newton but I'd sure like to see Gardner get some playing time as well so that we can better evaluate him in real game situations and see if he's worth keeping next season.

SheTexan

12-01-2012, 09:29 AM

mann James was a replacement for cushing and Newton was not even supposed to share snaps with Big bird till he got hurt

James was a replacement for Demeco, if I remember right. Wonder how much they miss him now! (to lazy to look up the sarcasm smilie!) Same with all the chat about Caldwell replacing Winston. How did that work out?? Regardless of what you guys think about the DUMPING of Winston, he never missed a game with an injury, that I know of anyway.

Now, PLEASE don't start spitting out the "we're 10-1" without them crap either. We MIGHT be 11-0 with them, or 1-10 with them, who knows. I just think what they brought to this team is truly MISSED! Not one replacement has been as solid as Demeco or Winston. AGAIN, JMO!!!

TexanSam

12-01-2012, 10:37 AM

James was a replacement for Demeco, if I remember right. Wonder how much they miss him now! (to lazy to look up the sarcasm smilie!) Same with all the chat about Caldwell replacing Winston. How did that work out?? Regardless of what you guys think about the DUMPING of Winston, he never missed a game with an injury, that I know of anyway.

Now, PLEASE don't start spitting out the "we're 10-1" without them crap either. We MIGHT be 11-0 with them, or 1-10 with them, who knows. I just think what they brought to this team is truly MISSED! Not one replacement has been as solid as Demeco or Winston. AGAIN, JMO!!!

I don't think they expected the players they brought in to play at the same level as Demeco and Winston. They've been good enough though, but they need to find an upgrade during the offseason. Unfortunately both of those guys were cap casualties. Had we kept them then we would have had to cut quality players somewhere else.

ChampionTexan

12-01-2012, 11:06 AM

I don't think they expected the players they brought in to play at the same level as Demeco and Winston. They've been good enough though, but they need to find an upgrade during the offseason. Unfortunately both of those guys were cap casualties. Had we kept them then we would have had to cut quality players somewhere else.

Agreed - I like both Winston and DeMeco, and they are both fine players, but the decision was made to keep Foster and Myers, and to extend Schaub and Brown prior to their contracts expiring. If keeping Winston or DeMeco would have meant losing any one of those four guys (or even having to use the franchise tag to keep them), it wasn't worth it.

thunderkyss

12-01-2012, 11:10 AM

mann James was a replacement for cushing and Newton was not even supposed to share snaps with Big bird till he got hurt

i know Mcarthy is a starting LB and Morgon is one of there best pass rushers

No offense Norg, but I think your post shows just how spoiled we are. We've been next man upping since the beginning of the season. But even we have to have our limits & that, I think, is why there is so much concern.

Bradie James was more or less taking Demeco's spot. Cushing was replaced by Dobbins, who was replaced by Sharpton. Tomorrow, both ILBs will be replacement players. I don't know if Dobbins is going to play, so it's possible we'll have Sharpton & Rudd. Neither were on the active roster week 1.

I don't think Wade has had 11 defensive starters on the field since week 3

I think Newton missing is a big deal. In my mind, they were finally starting to gel. Now this happens. I hope Newton can get back soon, so they can get to gel'n again before the play-off starts.

ChampionTexan

12-01-2012, 11:25 AM

No offense Norg, but I think your post shows just how spoiled we are. We've been next man upping since the beginning of the season. But even we have to have our limits & that, I think, is why there is so much concern.

Bradie James was more or less taking Demeco's spot. Cushing was replaced by Dobbins, who was replaced by Sharpton. Tomorrow, both ILBs will be replacement players. I don't know if Dobbins is going to play, so it's possible we'll have Sharpton & Rudd. Neither were on the active roster week 1.

I don't think Wade has had 11 defensive starters on the field since week 3

I think Newton missing is a big deal. In my mind, they were finally starting to gel. Now this happens. I hope Newton can get back soon, so they can get to gel'n again before the play-off starts.

Dobbins is listed as probable, and the Texans have said ILB will be a rotation of Sharpton, Dobbins and Ruud. Cody is also listed as probable on the inury report, so there's (hopefully) another little bit of good news.

In theory, with the obvious (and significant) exception of Cushing, everybody we're talking about should be back for the playoffs, if not before. We still have the possibility of going into the postseason with a defense that pretty closely resembles the one we started the season with. In the meantime, you can look at the silver lining of guys like Ruud and Sharpton getting to knock the rust off, and others like Mercilus, and maybe Brandon Harris getting a chance to show their stuff and get some experience.

EllisUnit

12-01-2012, 11:31 AM

Time to see what that 60th pick got us. I really hope they are just giving guys time to heal up, and get ready for the Pats, and the stretch run. All of these injuries, kind of worry me.

Atleast none are major, or season ending. As long as they are all a go for the play-offs we should be golden. Or schedule besides new england dont look to tough. We can still win the AFC and have homefield while giving these guys rest IMO.

76Texan

12-01-2012, 11:39 AM

The upside on the offensive line is Jones already played better than Brisiel (when Brisiel first started). And Brisiel was already in the league for a while.

Jones also played better than Caldwell when Caldwell first started (and Caldwell also had more experience).

Caldwell had improved since and played well when he was healthy.
But it sure looks like Jones may pass a healthy Caldwell soon (maybe already).

The same goes with Newton; if he continues a normal progression, the odd is he will be at least as good as Winston (at their respective point in their career.)
Obviously, I need to restate that Newton has to improve to get there.

And he needs to stay on the field; that's important, too.

Brisiel and Winston were both warriors for us and they are appreciated.

As far as Harris, so far he seems to be holding up better than Salaam did for us.
Salaam was a warrior, too.
But by the time he came to us, it's already toward the end of his career.

Gardner is still young, and he did look good against scrubs in the PS.
We played more young guys than our opponents did, so there might be hope for him; not saying that he will turn into something though.

76Texan

12-01-2012, 11:40 AM

Dobbins is listed as probable, and the Texans have said ILB will be a rotation of Sharpton, Dobbins and Ruud. Cody is also listed as probable on the inury report, so there's (hopefully) another little bit of good news.

In theory, with the obvious (and significant) exception of Cushing, everybody we're talking about should be back for the playoffs, if not before. We still have the possibility of going into the postseason with a defense that pretty closely resembles the one we started the season with. In the meantime, you can look at the silver lining of guys like Ruud and Sharpton getting to knock the rust off, and others like Mercilus, and maybe Brandon Harris getting a chance to show their stuff and get some experience.

Like.

dalemurphy

12-01-2012, 01:54 PM

Agreed - I like both Winston and DeMeco, and they are both fine players, but the decision was made to keep Foster and Myers, and to extend Schaub and Brown prior to their contracts expiring. If keeping Winston or DeMeco would have meant losing any one of those four guys (or even having to use the franchise tag to keep them), it wasn't worth it.

We have certainly missed those guys, and it is clearly a year of transition at those positions. However, if you watch KC and Phillie play, it is clear that they aren't difference-makers, which is what we were paying them to be. Demeco, whom I love, has continued to show that he simply isn't able to be an asset in pass coverage. Winston, while excellent in the run game, has proven to be mediocre in pass protection.

Both decisions were clearly good ones for the long term success of the franchise.

Norg

12-01-2012, 02:02 PM

James was a replacement for Demeco, if I remember right. Wonder how much they miss him now! (to lazy to look up the sarcasm smilie!) Same with all the chat about Caldwell replacing Winston. How did that work out?? Regardless of what you guys think about the DUMPING of Winston, he never missed a game with an injury, that I know of anyway.

Now, PLEASE don't start spitting out the "we're 10-1" without them crap either. We MIGHT be 11-0 with them, or 1-10 with them, who knows. I just think what they brought to this team is truly MISSED! Not one replacement has been as solid as Demeco or Winston. AGAIN, JMO!!!

pfff plzzz Newton has been better then WInston already has a rookie winston was so bad

Norg

12-01-2012, 02:04 PM

The upside on the offensive line is Jones already played better than Brisiel (when Brisiel first started). And Brisiel was already in the league for a while.

Jones also played better than Caldwell when Caldwell first started (and Caldwell also had more experience).

Caldwell had improved since and played well when he was healthy.
But it sure looks like Jones may pass a healthy Caldwell soon (maybe already).

The same goes with Newton; if he continues a normal progression, the odd is he will be at least as good as Winston (at their respective point in their career.)
Obviously, I need to restate that Newton has to improve to get there.

And he needs to stay on the field; that's important, too.

Brisiel and Winston were both warriors for us and they are appreciated.

As far as Harris, so far he seems to be holding up better than Salaam did for us.
Salaam was a warrior, too.
But by the time he came to us, it's already toward the end of his career.

Gardner is still young, and he did look good against scrubs in the PS.
We played more young guys than our opponents did, so there might be hope for him; not saying that he will turn into something though.

Nice post "Thumbs up"

76Texan

12-01-2012, 02:06 PM

The combo of Harris and Newton had the same numbers of false start as Winston, same number of holding penalty. Winston allowed one fewer sack.

The Texans pass slightly a little more than the Chiefs.

Don't now about QB Pressure, but overall, it doesn't look too bad.

SteveSlaton20

12-01-2012, 02:12 PM

Looking forward to Brandon Harris if they'll let him play.

TexanSam

12-01-2012, 02:13 PM

pfff plzzz Newton has been better then WInston already has a rookie winston was so bad

Yeah, I'm not so sure about that. Winston showed potential when he was drafted. I don't sense much in Newton. He's just an average player. Probably best suited as a backup.

thunderkyss

12-01-2012, 02:13 PM

The upside on the offensive line is Jones already played better than Brisiel (when Brisiel first started). And Brisiel was already in the league for a while.

Jones also played better than Caldwell when Caldwell first started (and Caldwell also had more experience).

Caldwell had improved since and played well when he was healthy.
But it sure looks like Jones may pass a healthy Caldwell soon (maybe already).

The same goes with Newton; if he continues a normal progression, the odd is he will be at least as good as Winston (at their respective point in their career.)
Obviously, I need to restate that Newton has to improve to get there.

I agree. I'm not so worried about Caldwell coming back. Even though he is a shoe in for the Pro Bowl, Jones is a much better athlete & gives us better options. His ability to get to the second level, pull, and the smarts he appears to have puts us in the plus column when he's on the field.

I think Newton has surpassed Winston's ability in pass pro. Yeah, he had some lapse early in the season, but that should have been expected with the competition he was facing. I would have expected the same from Winston, a 6 year pro, simply because I've seen him struggle in those same situations. Von Miller/Dumerville would eat Winston's lunch... in his face & there wouldn't be anything Eric could do about it.

In the run game, I think Newton has what it takes & like I said they were just beginning to gel. I think we really need him back in the line-up.

thunderkyss

12-01-2012, 02:21 PM

Winston, while excellent in the run game, has proven to be mediocre in pass protection.

Agree. $5M/yr for Winston is too much when you know he struggles against average to above average pass rushers. I wonder how many penalties he has this year.

Demeco on the other hand. Still, none of our LBs look good in pass coverage.... maybe Barwin, maybe Rudd. But there is still a lot to be desired there. Wade is able to make due with different looks & his dime package.

I like to think Demeco would have taken a paycut/restructure to stay on the team & I'd feel a lot better, with Cushing gone for the year, with a healthy (he does look healthy) Demeco Ryans to go with Sharpton & Rudd, and Dobbins if he's healthy. Heck, I'd take a cheap Demeco over a cheap Bradie James.

But that's just me. We are where we are & we've got what we've got. 5 games to go & winning the next two can go a long way to getting us where we want to go.

& Like I said, it's been a while since Wade has had 11 starters. It shows how good he is to get us where we are, but it also "explains" what's happened the last two games.

thunderkyss

12-01-2012, 02:23 PM

Yeah, I'm not so sure about that. Winston showed potential when he was drafted. I don't sense much in Newton. He's just an average player. Probably best suited as a backup.

Wow..... that is so wrong. Newton looks great.

dalemurphy

12-01-2012, 02:46 PM

Agree. $5M/yr for Winston is too much when you know he struggles against average to above average pass rushers. I wonder how many penalties he has this year.

Demeco on the other hand. Still, none of our LBs look good in pass coverage.... maybe Barwin, maybe Rudd. But there is still a lot to be desired there. Wade is able to make due with different looks & his dime package.

I like to think Demeco would have taken a paycut/restructure to stay on the team & I'd feel a lot better, with Cushing gone for the year, with a healthy (he does look healthy) Demeco Ryans to go with Sharpton & Rudd, and Dobbins if he's healthy. Heck, I'd take a cheap Demeco over a cheap Bradie James.

But that's just me. We are where we are & we've got what we've got. 5 games to go & winning the next two can go a long way to getting us where we want to go.

& Like I said, it's been a while since Wade has had 11 starters. It shows how good he is to get us where we are, but it also "explains" what's happened the last two games.

Realize also, though, that we received a 3rd and 4th round pick for Ryans... Plus, his salary will be totally off the books next year, saving the team close to $7million under the cap.

TexanSam

12-01-2012, 02:50 PM

Wow..... that is so wrong. Newton looks great.

I don't see it. Just looks like an average player to me. Serviceable but not much more than that.

thunderkyss

12-01-2012, 02:53 PM

Realize also, though, that we received a 3rd and 4th round pick for Ryans... Plus, his salary will be totally off the books next year, saving the team close to $7million under the cap.

yeah, I don't have a problem with the trade. Just saying.

badboy

12-01-2012, 07:48 PM

I don't see it. Just looks like an average player to me. Serviceable but not much more than that.Keep in mind Newton is basically in his rookie season as he had only 17 plays last year. He has allowed only 3 sacks and our O has not suffered too much. Also keep in mind he gets minimal relief from Harris unlike D. Brown did from Salaam. I think Gary is well pleased with Newton.

Cornerback Alan Ball will be a game-time decision. Missed practice with a sore foot. #Texans

Starting to look like Kubiak is looking ahead to the Patriots game?
:toropalm:

Texan_Bill

12-01-2012, 08:06 PM

So, basically this means we'll only win 27-10??? :shrug:

dalemurphy

12-01-2012, 08:10 PM

Starting to look like Kubiak is looking ahead to the Patriots game?
:toropalm:

What Kubiak is doing by resting starters with injuries that could be aggravated is at least as important, IMO, as being a #1 seed instead of a #2 seed. If we win on Sunday then it was a brilliant move. If we don't win, I still think it was wise to sit Joseph, Newton, and Caldwell. Reed couldn't play regardless, and I don't think missing James for one game hurts the defense.

Norg

12-02-2012, 12:14 AM

I don't see it. Just looks like an average player to me. Serviceable but not much more than that.

yeah i agree with u tho i wish we did have 2 all world book end tackles but alot of teams dont have that having to high price tackles is not a good way to build your team